The Toronto Raptors (40-40) are holding down the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference, but will need to finish the season strong in order to hold off the Philadelphia 76ers. The Raptors take on a D-league caliber Miami Heat (14-66) Monday night at the ACC.
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The Toronto Raptors (34-33) will have all-star forward Chris Bosh back in the line up tonight when they host the worst team in the NBA, the Miami Heat (12-54).

Bosh has missed the last ten games with a knee injury and his team has struggled without him. The Raptors have gone 2-8 without their franchise and now find themselves only a half game up on Washington for the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Heat, on the other hand, will not have their franchise player in the line up tonight. Dwayne Wade was shut down for the remainder of the regular season because of a ailing left knee. The Heat will also be without forward Udonis Haslem because of an ankle injury. Haslem is considering going under the knife, which would put an end to his season.

Starting 5:
Jason Williams/Jose Calderon
Daequan Cook/Anthony Parker
Ricky Davis/Jamario Moon
Shawn Marion/Chris Bosh
Mark Blount/Rasho Nesterovic

Key Match-ups:
It’s hard to say how much playing time Bosh will get tonight. The last thing the Raptors want to do is rush him back too quickly and risk losing him down the stretch. If Bosh does play the depleted Heat roster will struggle to contain him. A combination of jump shots and drives to the basket will keep them guessing and fouling.

Shawn Marion is the only real threat on the Heat, but the best numbers in his career have been put up with a great point guard getting him the ball in high percentage scoring areas. If Jason Williams can penetrate the defence and get Marion some good looks, then this combo could create problems for the Raptors. Look for Jose Calderon to bounce back and have a strong game on both ends of the court against Williams.

Game Notes:
The Heat are 2-8 in their last 10 games; Earl Barron is averaging 18.5 ppg in his last 2; Mark Blount failed to score in double digits for the first time in 6 games Tuesday against the Bucks; point guard Marcus Banks has missed the last 5 games because of a hamstring injury; the Heat are an Eastern Confernce worse 6-26 on the road.

The Raptors are only 1 game up on Altantic Division rival Philadelphia 76ers; TJ Ford left Sundays game to a standing ovation from the Jazz faithful after arguing a call a recieving consecutive techical fouls. It was rather entertaining; no more game notes…I just want to see Bosh back in the line up.

Technorati Tags: Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Jason Williams, Jose Calderon, Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Miami Heat, Shawn Marion, TJ Ford, Udonis Haslem

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The Raptors finally beat a shitty team. I got nervous when Chuck said “they couldn’t possibly lose this lead.” I really don’t know why people rant and rave over Riley, his genius, his detailed approach, bla bla bla. If you can’t win a championship with Shaq, Wade backed up by Haslem, Mourning, Payton, Williams and Walker, then you shouldn’t be allowed to coach, period. He does nothing with a less talented team. The Heat team isn’t that bad. I mean, they aren’t good, but they are better than 11 wins. At the end of the day, you have Wade and Marion, shouldn’t be last in the East…that’s all I’m saying. Continue Reading

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The Toronto Raptors (32-27) will try to prevent a season high four game losing streak tonight when they visit the Miami Heat (6-22). The Raptors can’t seem to find a way to win without all-star Chris Bosh in their line up. The Raptors are 2-5 this season with their franchise player.

The Heat are in a rebuilding mode this season. They have the distinct honour of having the worst record in the NBA and there have been rumours of shutting down Dwayne Wade for the remainder of the season. Continue Reading

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Bad coaching; bad coaching….bad coaching lost this game. The Raptors closed the 3rd quarter on an 11-2 run, to come within 4 points of the Pistons, and Mitchell elects to sit Bosh and Calderon to start the 4th. Dixon and Humphries didn’t realize that the Pistons are elite, and would come out swinging to burry them. Off of a couple turn overs, and Raptor brain farts, the Pistons go on a 6-0 run to start the 4th (2 minutes and change), until Mitchell decides, a little to too late, to bring Bosh and Calderon back in, far too late to mount any significant comeback. Continue Reading

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The Toronto Raptors (15-13) have lost two in a row on their Western Conference road trip and they’ll be hard pressed to end the streak when they take on the Pacific Division leading Phoenix Suns (18-8). Continue Reading

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The undermanned Toronto Raptors (10-8) will be in tough Wednesday night when the Pacific Division leading Phoenix Suns (13-4) visit the ACC. The Raptors were impressive on Monday night defeating the Charlotte Bobcats with Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani and TJ Ford all out of the line up. Kris Humphries and Carlos Delfino both came off the bench to scored 17 points each. Continue Reading

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Two high profile players have demanded trades recently. Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko and Phoenix Sun forward Shaun Marion are both aren’t happy with their current situations. Kirilenko is unhappy with Coach Jerry Sloan and Marion is upset with Suns management regarding trade talks and contract extentions. So where could these highly talented ballers end up? Here are a few scenarios I drummed up. Continue Reading

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In the absence of a roster shakeup to counter the moves the other teams in the Atlantic made this summer, I have come up with two scenarios, that will make the Raptors instant Eastern Conference contenders:

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